Do! Judge A Book By Its Cover–Issue Thirty-Five: Historical Fiction (Part 5)

“Do! Judge A Book By Its Cover” is a regular feature on Pop! Goes The Reader in which I pay tribute to some of the best and brightest the publishing world has to offer in the way of book cover design. This feature is inspired by Katie’s feature Cover Love on her blog One Page At A Time. The idea is being used with her gracious permission.

I think we’re all familiar with the age-old adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. And you know what I have to say about that? Rubbish! Covers are an invaluable part of a book’s package. A truly great cover can tell you a lot about the novel contained within its pages. Book covers can also catch your attention and attract you to a novel you might otherwise ignore. So go ahead, judge a book by its cover – We all do it!

I can’t express how much fun it is to be working on this feature again. As much work as it can be to compile the covers and compose and code each post, I never tire of celebrating the artistry that goes into modern book cover design. Just look at these covers! There is so much to celebrate, in fact, that I almost don’t know where quite to begin. I love the saturation of colour on HHHH and Playing for the Commandant. I love the use of typography on The Visitors and Fin & Lady. I love the use of illustration on O, Africa! and The Strangler Vine. And, as much as I normally dislike covers that employ real models, I must also admit defeat as some of the most striking covers this week (Petite Mort, The Visitors, I Shall Be Near To You and Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures) feature just such a thing. Point proven, designers. You make my job extremely easy. Some of my favourite covers this week include HHHH by Laurent Binet, Petite Mort by Beatrice Hitchman, The Visitors by Rebecca Mascull, Euphoria by Lily King, O, Africa! by Andrew Lewis Conn, I Shall Be Near To You by Erin Lindsay McCabe, The Invention Of Exile by Vanessa Manko and Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris.

HHHH by Laurent Binet ● Playing for the Commandant by Suzy Zail ● HHHH by Laurent Binet

Jack Of Spies by David Downing ● Petite Mort by Beatrice Hitchman ● The Visitors by Rebecca Mascull

Euphoria by Lily King ● O, Africa! by Andrew Lewis Conn ● Fin & Lady by Cathleen Schine

Neverhome by Laird Hunt ● I Shall Be Near To You by Erin Lindsay McCabe ● The Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter

Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures by Emma Straub ● The Visitors by Rebecca Mascull ● Stealing Venice by Heather Redding

The Invention Of Exile by Vanessa Manko ● Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter ● Ishmael’s Oranges by Claire Hajaj

Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris ● Beautiful Lies by Clare Clark ● All Our Names by Dinaw Mengestu

Now it’s your turn! What are some of your favourite historical fiction covers? Did I list one of your favourites here or is there one I forgot that just has to be included? Let me know in the comments!